In the Pre Corona world, Pappu once found a piece of stone lying on the ground. When he saw it, Pappu’s first instinct was to click a picture and share it on his Instagram story. Somehow he felt he could click better photos of the stone at home in different settings and from a variety of angles. If he gets a decent click, he may later post that picture on his feed with a caption entirely unrelated to the pic of the stone. So Pappu kept the stone with him.

When Pappu posted the picture of the stone on his feed, some of the replies he received were:

“Wow! minimalism, bro.”

“Bro, tere dimaag ka size”

“100”

“<3”

“Doesn’t seem like an ordinary stone, why don’t you get it checked from an expert. May fetch money.”

“Just my luck that I took the stone with me to click more pictures”, thought Pappu.

The suggestion and idea that the stone may fetch money made the stone more valuable to Pappu. Maybe the stone wasn’t just useful as an item to be displayed on his Instagram art gallery.

When Pappu showed the stone to his family members, they reckoned it definitely looks unique. It may even fetch him good money. The stone became even more significant to Pappu.

He then decided to take that stone to a trusted jeweller. Enroute he did not forget to share about his Uber driver story on Twitter. Additionally, clicking a picture of the traffic from the car’s window, sharing it on an Instagram story with the caption, “Ugh!”

The jeweller congratulated Pappu and told him that he had found a precious stone. It will fetch him more money than the number of followers he has on social media. The stone’s value shot up yet again in the eyes of Pappu.

What’s happening in our story is that the more Pappu learns about the actual value of the stone, more is his attachment towards it— more is his joy derived!

It is the same with life, isn’t it?

Hardly anyone follows something in their life just because it is the right thing to do for them.

We follow a diet, a book, a personality, a faith, a course or say even this blog because somewhere we have attached some value towards the particular thing. It can be immensely useful, therefore to seek more knowledge about a subject you are inclined towards.

I feel this ‘stone model’ could be used by us whenever we find ourselves unable to commit to something— say a ritual, a diet, a routine.

How to do that?

Let’s consider that you wish to gain a healthier body. The desire is there, and you know you want to, but you are unable to muster the motivation. No matter how hard you try, you cannot get your butt on a yoga or exercise mat.

Applying the ‘stone model’, one should first understand the fundamental science of exercise. Read up about its benefits extensively. Speak to the people in your circle who work out regularly. What made them get into it, and how do they manage to stick to it? Get the necessary know-how as to how a workout can be added to your routine. This can ensure that your ‘should’ turns into a ‘must’.

I shall give you a personal life example. I got serious about mediation, yoga and pranayama only after I read accounts of people whose lives have transformed thanks to these tools. When I found that contemporaries have tapped into these tools to create miraculous changes in many aspects of their life, my desire to engage in them increased multi-folds.

It’s not always fun being on the yoga mat to meditate or do yoga. However, once I remind myself of the why of it, I am compelled to engage. Funny thing is that once you manage to move past the initial hesitancy, you start enjoying these activities because you get a practical experience of the benefits.

I started reading more once I started taking writing seriously. Top authors opine that one cannot expect to write better unless you read more. Although I have loved reading since my teenage years, I never really spent much time reading because it wasn’t as valuable to me as it has become now. The identity shift and the value I attach to reading these days compels me to read more.

If you want to learn more about how powerful identity shift is, I suggest you read ‘Atomic Habits‘ by James Clear– my top read of 2020 until now.

Another fantastic book recommendation that I wish to offer is ‘Start With Why‘ by Simon Sinek. The book talks about the ideas I hint towards in this blog in a more detailed and channelised manner.

I hope my post adds value to your life and day. Thank you for investing your time to read this. If you find this piece useful, please do share it.

Wish you joy and laughter,
Kushagra

Got a few more minutes?

Why don’t you play the latest episode of my Podcast and listen to it as you work? I speak the power of your mind’s attention and introduce RAC to you. Choose your favourite platform and listen. 😎